


Family Means Nobody Gets Left Behind

by punkybunny



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Child Neglect, Cuddling & Snuggling, Family Feels, Fluff, Foster Care, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Kid Peter Parker, Parent Tony Stark, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Separation Anxiety, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkybunny/pseuds/punkybunny
Summary: "Tony was about to brush it off again, say something about how it was the least he could do. But before he could speak, he heard a small voice timidly asking, "I-Iron man?"Peering downward, the man spotted who the voice belonged to. A young boy with unruly brown curls and wide eyes stared back at him from a couple feet away. The kid looked very tiny, maybe only four or five years old. "Aka Tony fosters a young boy named Peter who happens to be a little genius. This is just gonna be a ton of family fluff, maybe a little angst!
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 90
Kudos: 792





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally I'm writing an Irondad story with a young Peter! These sort of stories are my favorite!! I'm a softy for children and I can't wait until years from now when I'm stable enough to adopt my own :)  
> So far I've written three chapters for this and I've planned the rest... hopefully that means I will finish it and not lose interest lmao  
> Also I don't know how to title things? I might mess around with it so sorry if the title changes and it's confusing  
> Please enjoy! <3

It appeared clear to anyone who actually knew Tony, that the genius had a soft spot for children. 

That fact was obvious just from witnessing the speed with which he changed gears when fighting villains and then swooping down low to save a child from danger. Then Tony would bring the kid home to their worried parents, even if the mission took longer than necessary because of it. 

It was obvious because Tony spent millions of dollars a year on charity events for children in need. He donated frequently to campaigns that directly supported children living in foster care. When it was Bring Your Kid to Work Day at SI, Tony went out of his way every year to set up an exciting and safe demonstration of his gadgets that was sure to make the tykes laugh. Not to mention the countless times that Tony had agreed to speak to young kids in "genius schools" about his experiences.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that really truly knew Tony Stark, that he volunteered often at nearby group homes and residential homes for children. It had begun when Tony felt extreme guilt after Afghanistan, thinking of all of the children that had lost their families thanks to his weapons. What if, in another universe, Yinsen's family had actually been alive and now they had lost their father because of him? 

At first, the billionaire only visited occasionally, to bring toys and clothes for the kids or to help take care of them for a few hours. He would read them books or play with them or even help prepare formulas for the tinier ones, if staff was low that day. 

But then after the whole situation with New York, Tony volunteered even more often, feeling like if he didn't, the guilt might eat him whole. Instead of California, he would visit group homes in New York. They were overflowing with children who lost their homes or even their families. And Tony would hope that he could help out at least a little, even if it meant his chest was collapsing with anxiety just being in the city, just being near where he had almost died.

The same happened after Ultron. And after Steve and his team went rouge. Tony tried his best to destroy the guilt eating him up, to feel like he was actually helping. Maybe if he got to see another wide-eyed toothy smile from a young kid that had lost everything, then he would believe that he was protecting something. 

\---

It was on one of those days where his brain worked on overdrive and stomach churned in guilt, where he met Peter Parker.

Tony was just heading over to a group home that he had been frequenting more and more lately. The home had way too many kids then the staff knew what to do with, and they could use all the help they could get. Tony was wearing a cap and sunglasses in an attempt to be discreet in the crowded streets of New York. 

The genius greeted the receptionist, who smiled at the familiar guest before he headed up to the communal floor where most children played (at least, the ones who weren't infants). Some of the boys and girls knew who he was, and they smiled and waved at him. It was a cramped group home and so he really only met a couple children before. Usually he only came to drop gifts off or ask the staff if they needed help with anything in particular. 

"Hello, Mr. Stark," Ms. Johnson, a young caretaker, greeted him. She accepted the bags of gifts with a grateful smile. "You're too kind. I never quite know how to thank you." 

"Nah, it's nothing," Tony waved his hand dismissively. "How has everyone been holding up?" He knew how difficult it was for the staff, with the influx of children and not many families willing to foster. 

She sighed. "It really has been tough, not just for us, but for the kids. But thanks to your donations, we should be able to add on to the building, make more space for them. Honestly, there's so much we could do with those funds." Ms. Johnson turned to him with gratitude shining in her eyes. "Really, thank you so much, Mr. Stark." 

Tony was about to brush it off again, say something about how it was the least he could do. But before he could speak, he heard a small voice timidly asking, "I-Iron man?" 

Peering downward, the man spotted who the voice belonged to. A young boy with unruly brown curls and wide eyes stared back at him from a couple feet away. The kid looked very tiny, maybe only four or five years old. 

The genius chuckled and squatted down to better address the boy, noticing the caretaker smiling warmly from the corner of his eye at his action. "That's me. Well, sometimes. Other times, I'm just Tony Stark. Who might you be?" 

The boy seemed to be genuinely surprised that Tony had responded to him. He continued to stare with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth, before stepping forward a tad and stuttering out, "P-Peter. 'm Peter Parker, Mr. Iron Man sir."

Tony took off his glasses, hoping to appear less threatening. "You can just call me Tony or Mr. Stark, bud." 

"O-okay, Mr. Stark."

Looking back at the caretaker, he noticed that she had left and was now putting a bandaid on a crying girl's scraped knee. Tony returned his attention to Peter, to find the boy fiddling with his fingers, looking like he wanted to say something. "What's up, Pete?" 

The boy shuffled a bit closer and asked, "Um, do you want to read my book with me?" 

Tony was used to this request and he had time to kill, so he nodded and allowed the now-grinning boy to grab his hand and tug him over to the opposite corner. A large bookshelf was set up, the books thick and obviously meant for the teenagers or older children. The area was empty, save for the kids a couple feet away playing with blocks in the middle of the floor. Peter dropped Tony's hand and dragged two bean bags close together. Grabbing a shiny new, hardcover book, the kid plopped down on his blue bean bag and waited for Tony to sit next to him.

The billionaire sat and read the cover of the book. It was a book on poetry, and Tony imagined that the level of reading was above what Peter should be at. Weren't kids his age just supposed to be reading picture books? 

Before he could voice his thoughts and suggest an easier read, the boy flipped to a page with a bright red bookmark in it, and Tony was surprised to see that he was about a fourth of the way done with the reading. That is if he didn't jump around and actually started at the beginning. "I like these books cuz they always sound so pwetty." 

Tony pretended to agree, even though poetry was certainly not his cup of tea. They sat in comfortable silence with Peter slowly reading the words aloud. He occasionally asked questions about long words or particularly interesting allusions. Sometimes the text was tricky to understand and they worked through it together, trying to figure out what the author was hinting at. 

The man watched on in awe, and he belatedly realized that Peter had to have been a very smart kid. Having grown up himself a genius, it was obvious that there were such drastic differences in their circumstances. Tony was given the means to grow and learn, and he was quite literally forced to be better, do better. But Peter had to look for ways to learn even more, he had to search for them because they were not given to him. Of course, he doesn't know where the boy was before he lived at the group home, but he highly doubts the kid had the same resources as Tony did growing up. 

"Mr. Stark?" There was a tugging at his sleeve and he blinked back to the present. Peter was shyly smiling up at him, and Tony realized that the book was closed shut. "'m done reading fo' now. Do you wanna play puzzles wit' me?" 

Tony, not wanting to deny the request but also wondering if he is needed elsewhere, glanced up at the nearest staff member. The older lady in question must have been listening in because she caught his eye and waved him away, signaling that they didn't need any help at the moment. Tony smiled, ruffling the kid's curls. "Sure thing, bud." 

The puzzle wasn't as big as Tony thought it would be, considering how Peter seemed to be a genius in the making. But that probably had more to do with funds, than with Peter's intellect. Either way, the two of them worked together to connect the pieces. Peter had a way of alternating between quietly sitting in concentration and then suddenly enthusiastically chattering about anything and everything, the puzzle sitting forgotten in those moments. 

"So I went ou'side to the back the other day and there was this li'l worm! It was rainin' and she was wigglin' a lot! I love the rain so much cuz I a'ways jump in puddles and wonder if I'll fall through the ground and pop up somewhere else!" The little boy paused to breath, his cheeks red. Then, he must have realized that he was rambling because he abruptly quieted down, lowering his head. "Oh, sowwy." 

Tony just smiled in a way he thought was encouraging. "Hey, I don't mind. You know, when you see a worm on a rainy day, it's a good idea to bring them back to the soil." 

Peter stared up at him with starry eyes, as though he had just been imparted with vast wisdom. "Really?" 

"Yep. It's safer for the worm there. Plus, they might have a worm family waiting for them to come home." 

Nodding quickly, Peter replied, "Ok! Next time, I'll bring the wormies home!" The boy's previous insecurity around his rambling was gone from his mind. 

\---

They diligently worked on their puzzle, only stopped when Peter got particularly chatty or when it was time for the boy's snack. Tony's phone had been buzzing almost constantly the past five minutes and he tried his best to ignore it. He knew it was Pepper trying to get him to finally do his work that he had been putting off. But he chose to let it ring, either because of his current company or because he and Pepper were on a break in their relationship, and well, he was a tad bitter.

Just when the phone began to vibrate for the twelth time, and Tony was seriously debating actually answering it, one of the members of the group home's staff came up to them. "Peter, it's time for your nap. Why don't you say goodbye to Mr. Stark?"

Tony was surprised that he had completely missed the fact that the boy next to him was slowly slumping down and struggling to keep his eyes open. Of course it was the kid's nap time. But just at the mention of sleep, Peter yawned wide before vehemently shaking his head, pleading, "No, 'm not tired! Jus' five more minutes, please!" 

Softly patting the tyke on the shoulder, Tony stood up. "It's alright, Pete. You need to get your rest." 

It became increasingly difficult to convince himself to leave as the boy stared up at him with the widest brown puppy dog eyes. "B-but…"

Tony was surprised; usually none of the other kids put up this much of a fight, though maybe it's because they had other children to play with. Peter hadn't even mentioned having any friends. The man squatted down to be at the boy's level, Peter getting up to stand in front of him. "I'm not leaving forever," Tony promised. "We can continue reading next time, okay? How's that sound?" 

That seemed to brighten Peter up, a dimpled smile lighting up his face. "Ok!" Peter then rushed forward to hug the billionaire without a hint of hesitation. Tony chuckled, and returned the embrace, though slightly awkwardly because of lack of practice.

Tony left the building, his heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time and it was all thanks to a certain smart, sweet four year old.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg?? 28 bookmarks??? And so many kind comments?? I love this corner of the fandom sm, y'all are so SWEET!! Thank u :')   
> Here's chapter 2! I only have 3 more chapters to write (and I gotta edit them all), so I'll probably be posting fairly frequently! 
> 
> Warning: Nothing intense, don't worry! But there is some implied/referenced child neglect, so be careful!

When Tony finally answered Pepper's call, her fury was unparallelled, though he could detect a hint of worry lacing her tone. He reassured her that he was on his way back to the Tower to get to work. Apparently, there were important documents he needed to look over and approve as well as a ton of other paperwork that Tony hardly cared about, but knew he had to fill out nonetheless. 

On pure instinct, the genius headed down to his lab to complete his work, a pot of coffee already brewing in the workshop, courtesy of Friday. 

"Boss, Colonel Rhodes is waiting in your lab for you," Friday alerted him.

That wasn't a first. But Tony couldn't think of a reason for his friend to be waiting there instead of the living room. As the elevator descended towards the lab, Tony felt as though he was heading towards the principal's office. There was probably a scolding of some sort waiting for him, even though he didn't think there was a reasonable justification for it.

He saw Rhodey sitting on the small couch in the corner, looking at something on his phone. When Tony walked in, his gaze snapped up to meet Tony's. Well, at least his friend didn't look too upset at him. If anything, he looked worried. Tony couldn't tell if that was worse.

"Hey, Honeybear. What brings you to my private lab? Did you miss me that much?" 

Rhodey rolled his eyes and watched the genius go to grab his coffee. "Where have you been?" 

"What, I'm not allowed to leave my home for a couple hours?" 

A sigh escaped Rhodey's mouth as he came over to lean against the counter next to Tony, his leg braces whirring quietly. "Pepper said you haven't been doing any of your work lately. Said she couldn't get a hold of you. She sounded worried, Tones. We both have been worried. Ever since…" 

Tony knew what his friend wanted to address: the rogues. It has been a sensitive subject lately. As they began working on negotiations, meeting after painful meeting, he couldn't shake the nausea building in the pit of his stomach.

The burn of the coffee slipping down his throat helped to distract him. "Hey, no, I've been fine. I just needed to get out, to feel like I was… helping somehow." 

Now his friend seemed intrigued. "Where'd you go?" 

Well, he might as well spill the beans, as the conversation was nearing towards the mushy side already. "There's this group home I've been visiting lately." 

Understanding seemed to dawn on Rhodey's features. "I didn't know you still had time to volunteer at those." Then a smirk bent his friend's lips and Tony raised an eyebrow. 

"So when are you going to finally foster one of those kids?" 

Tony sputtered, almost choking on his coffee. "What?" He paused to collect himself, rolling his eyes. "Rhodey, you know I wouldn't be a good father. I can hardly take care of myself." 

"Nope."

"...'nope'?"

A sigh. "Tones, I know for a fact that you are the definition of 'father material'. I can't tell you whether or not you actually want to be a father, but I think you'd be a great one. Every day that you go to one of those group homes, Pepper and I bet on the odds of you returning with a kid of your own." 

Tony was floored for a moment by the honesty of Rhodey's little speech. "I don't know, Rhodes. I don't think being a father is in my-" 

"Don't you dare say that it's not in your blood," Rhodey cut him off with a glare, leaving Tony to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "You aren't your father. I know you, Tones, and you would never intentionally hurt a kid." 

Tony shut his mouth at that, but he sighed loudly through his nose. Rhodey did have a point. Tony knew that he genuinely wanted to help the future generations to grow and lead safe, happy lives. He would never hurt a child intentionally. But what about on accident? The billionaire could be impulsive, he could be oblivious to his surroundings. Not to mention that sometimes his lifestyle wasn't exactly safe for a child. Instead of voicing his thoughts, he shrugged and let the conversation end. 

\---

Over the next two months, Tony was surprised that Peter had managed to spot the man every time he visited the group home. It seemed as though he was intentionally waiting for Tony to visit and the thought made his heart ache. And it was because of that feeling that led Tony to visit the home much more often. He couldn't stand the thought of Peter waiting and Tony never showing up. 

At first it was just every other week when the genius had free time. He would help the boy with his readings and they would complete lots of little puzzles. Peter seemed to get confident enough to ask if Tony wanted to play with his action figures. Tony couldn't find it in him to deny, even as the boy had his Captain America toy fight his Iron Man toy. It hit a little bit too close to home. 

Then, almost against his will Tony found himself visiting much more often, first once a week and then multiple times every week. He tried to give more of his attention to the other children, but Peter never seemed to do well in groups, always growing quiet and nervous. It was scary to see the kid retreat into himself after slowly growing more and more loud and outgoing with Tony. 

And maybe the genius shouldn't be choosing favorites, but he couldn't help the way the smart little boy was worming his way into his heart, one bright dimpled smile at a time. The caretakers would wave to Tony when he visited and tell him where Peter was (if the boy wasn't already running towards him) as though they knew why he was there. Occasionally, they actually requested his help with other matters, and it was at those moments where Peter watched Tony leave and curled up into himself, sticking his thumb in his mouth. It hurt to watch the boy sulk like that; Tony knew he was scared of being alone.

Tony felt horrible at those times, but Peter should know that he wouldn't be staying with the boy all the time. He shouldn't let him get too attached. Right? Well, maybe it was already too late for that. Maybe Tony had also begun to grow attached to the sunshine giggles and high pitched ramblings of a certain four year old. 

It was on one particular day that things changed drastically. Tony was bringing his gifts as usual and this time also, a large check to help with funding the home. He had picked out a stuffed animal for Peter as the kid had mentioned that he didn't have any that were solely his: a white and chocolate brown puppy with the softest fur imaginable (it had reminded him of the boy). 

But as he looked around the floor filled with chattering children, he couldn't find Peter anywhere. He wasn't at his reading corner or with any of the staff members. Tony turned to the nearest caretaker. "Do you know where Peter is?" 

A look of sadness filled her eyes. "Yeah, he's in his room, first on the right." She pointed down the hallway. "Poor Petey. He's really upset. A family was planning on fostering him a day ago, but they changed their mind last minute and decided they wanted a girl instead. I can't imagine how difficult it is for him, especially considering what he went through with his biological parents." 

Trying to see past his anger and shock, Tony asked, "Biological parents?" 

She nodded sadly with a heavy sigh. "Yeah. Peter came here when he was two years old. His parents were neglective. He was so tiny and quiet, withdrawn. He's had some trouble with feeling like he… like he isn't wanted, ever since then."

A wave of protectiveness clouded Tony's mind. He pressed his mouth into a thin line, and passed the bags of gifts into the woman's arms before rushing down to Peter's room. All he wanted to do right now was make sure the boy was okay. He knocked quietly. "Pete? It's Tony." 

After a moment of silence that set the man on edge, the door was opened and he came face to face with the tiny boy. His blotchy red cheeks were covered in tear tracks and his eyes were puffy from crying. Tony wondered why on earth the staff would leave the four year old alone right now when he obviously needed comfort. "Hey, bud."

Peter sniffled and moved to let Tony enter. The room had four different bunk beds inside of it, but it was clear which bed belonged to Peter, as there was a book and some of the boy's toys layed on the small mattress. "Hi, Mr. Stark." 

Tony sat on the bed and watched as Peter had to physically climb up it. He was reminded once again just how small and young the little boy was. "You alright? I heard what happened. That wasn't very nice of them, was it?" 

Peter shook his head, long curls almost flopping into his eyes. His bottom lip wobbled as he struggled not to cry in front of Tony. "I thought they wan'ed m-me. Did I do somethin' wrong?" He whispered, his voice cracking.

The billionaire felt his heart clench and he reached out to pet the boy's curls in a way he hoped was comforting. First Peter's actual parents, and now this other couple. This poor boy. "It wasn't your fault, buddy. They were just mean people."

That caused Peter to shake his head. "N-no, they were nice 'o me. They played wit' me yes'erday for hours and said they wan'ed to be… a f-family."

And then the boy couldn't help but sob fully, his little body wracked with cries. Tony almost felt like crying himself, thinking about everything this kid had been through, but instead he opened his arms. Peter immediately buried his face in the man's chest and shifted until he was held safely in Tony's lap. "Shh, it's okay. You're gonna be okay. I've gotcha, bug." 

Peter hiccuped and gripped the bag of Tony's shirt with his tiny fingers. Tony swept his hands through the boy's hair, whispering reassurances as the little one cried and cried. It was surprising how naturally it came to Tony, comforting a child. There were doubts in his mind that reminded him how he needed to back away, to not get too attached or he would end up hurting Peter. But the majority of his mind was set on helping the boy, on letting go of his selfishness and instead, thinking of Peter. 

"M-Mr. Stark?" Peter eventually lifted his face up to direct his sweetest puppy eyes towards Tony.

"Yes, Pete?"

"Are you gonna leave me, too?" 

Tony stopped breathing for a second. He couldn't get this boy's hopes up; he was going to need to distance himself if he didn't want to hurt Peter. But instead of saying that, Tony went with his heart, with the words he desperately wished to make a reality. "No, of course not. If you want me to stay, then I'll stay." 

Peter's next question was posed so bluntly, as though he didn't really know the importance of what he was asking. "C-could you foster me?" 

The genius blinked for a second, wondering if he heard that right. Peter wanted Tony to foster him? Tony couldn't deny that he had been thinking about doing just that. The boy deserved a home of his own, a place to grow and flourish. He couldn't stay in the group home forever. When Tony heard that there was another family that was going to foster Peter, he felt a tinge of jealousy. Maybe, unconsciously Tony was already seeing himself as the boy's guardian.

"Pwease?" Teary brown eyes were boring into his soul, and god, how could he say no to that? Maybe it was about time Tony stopped denying his feelings. And it was only fostering, right? It wasn't necessarily permanent. He had the resources and money to care for Peter, not to mention a home with a lot of space for the boy to play and explore. 

"Okay, if that's what you want, then I'd love to." Peter surged forward to squeeze him tightly, little giggles spilling past his lips. 

"T'ank you, Mr. Stark! T'ank you so much!" 

\---

Tony was quick to call Pepper and inform her of the situation. There sure was a lot of paperwork. 

"It's about time." 

Tony couldn't help but grin in sharp contrast to his words, as he tried to sound annoyed. "You, too? Rhodey was bugging me months ago about being 'father material'."

"Well, you are," Pepper replied, mirth coating her words. "Alright, I'll get over there and help you take care of it. Usually, there's more of a wait period for this sort of thing, but of course you'd choose to be spontaneous." 

"That's why I called you, Pep. Okay, see you in a few." 

Peter was bouncing on his feet in the waiting room, as the pair waited for a staff member to bring them the paperwork. Both of his little hands were clutching his new stuffed puppy, which he was staring at in awe. "Mr. Stark, he's so fluffy!" 

Chuckling warmly, Tony ruffled the kid's curls. "I know right? What are you gonna name him?" 

Peter hummed and stared even more intensely at the plushie, before smiling wide and answering, "Worm! Cuz we talked abou' worms when I firs' met you!" 

Tony smiled fondly at the adorable boy. "Wow, you've got a good memory. Now come sit down, Pete, we're gonna be waiting a while."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I didn't want to include a huge build up to Tony fostering Peter, cuz that's not the point of the story! We knew he was going to foster Peter from the beginning. Now we watch them become a family :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 3! Thank u all so much for the support!!! Not much to say here, so without further ado, please enjoy! <3

The paperwork sure did take a long time. Luckily Pepper arrived and helped sort some of it out, even calling Tony's lawyers to speed up the process. It took three hours and for most of it, Tony was trying to come up with ways to entertain a restless Peter. 

The boy made up imaginary games to play with Worm and then when that got old, he chattered to Tony about anything and everything. ("Did you know tha' there's a shwimp that can see more colors than us, Mr. Stark?") Tony even allowed Peter to play on his Starkphone, but eventually even that got boring. 

The little boy must have worn himself out. His eyelids were beginning to droop as he slumped in his seat. It must have been an exhausting day; he cried up a storm earlier and then afterward he received some of the biggest news of his life. Not to mention, he had probably missed his nap time.

Eventually, Tony felt a small weight leaning against his side, and sure enough, there Peter was, completely passed out. The genius couldn't help but smile softly and gently brush the curls off of the kid's forehead. He felt eyes boring into him and glanced up to see Pepper grinning his way. When they made eye contact, the woman chuckled and came up to them. 

"Alright, it's all settled. Someone gathered his things and Happy came up to bring them to the car. I assume you know that Peter's going to need much more than that, right?" 

Tony rolled his eyes. "Of course, Pep. I had Friday order some things for him while we waited. They should arrive later today. Really, how incompetant do you think I am?" 

"Not incompetant, just… impulsive," Pepper replied, smirking. 

With a huff and a slight smirk of his own, Tony stood up and carefully lifted Peter up with him, holding the boy securely on his hip. Peter stirred slightly in his sleep, unconsciously gripping onto Tony's shirt with one hand and Worm with the other as he snuggled closer. And Tony's heart may have melted. Slightly.

\--- 

It was only when they all arrived at the Tower that Peter actually woke up, blearing blinking his brown eyes and reaching up to rub the sleep out of them. Tony watched the boy realize he was being held by the man (because of his lack of carseat, this was the safest option) as he looked confusedly up at him and then broke out into a wide smile. 

"Mr. Stark, are we goin' to your home?" Peter asked, hugging Tony tight.

"Yeah, bug. How do you feel about living at Avengers Tower?"

The toddler's eyes went comically wide. "The 'vengers?!"

Tony smiled painfully at the mention of the other Avengers. There were arrangements being made to pardon the rogues and allow them to return to the Tower, but Tony still felt bitter and uncertain about the whole thing. "Well, right now the only Avengers ever at the Tower are me and Rhodey. Sorry about that, bud." 

Peter was quick to shake his head, frowning. "I don' care! I wanna live wit' you, Mr. Stark!" 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Pepper in the passenger seat smiling softly at them. Tony couldn't help but do the same. Damn, this kid was making him a softy. "You are such a sweet boy, Peter." 

The child giggled bashfully and continued to lean against Tony as Happy found a place to park. Finally, it was time to show Peter his new home. 

\---

"Mr. Stark, you must be sooooo rich!" 

A laugh escaped Tony before he could help it, as he watched the four year old run around the penthouse, Worm held tight. "I think you might be right, Petey."

A head of brown curls disappeared around the corner as Peter ran through the kitchen and then afterward, the living room, ooh'ing and ahh'ing the whole time. "It's all so big an' shiny!" He announced as he stared up at the large flat screen TV. 

Tony went to deposit the boy's belongings, all wrapped up in a garbage bag, into the guest room that he would be staying in. The bland atmosphere of the large room felt so wrong. Tony would need to do some redecorating; Peter deserved a room that felt like home. 

Returning to the living room, the man caught sight of the toddler with his hands pressed flat against the floor to ceiling window. "How's the view treating you?" 

Peter visible perked up when Tony came back, briefly turning to smile at the man before bringing his attention back to the window. "It's so pwetty…," Peter mumbled, eyes twinkling. "You see the city like this eve'yday?"

Chuckling under his breath, Tony crouched down next to the boy and set a hand on his shoulder. "I guess I do, Pete. I don't think about it all that much, to be honest. You can stare as long as you want, okay?" 

With a small nod, the boy turned his gaze upwards to look at the clouds. He continued to watch the white masses lazily drift by for a few moments, before eventually, looking down bashfully. "Um, Mr. Stark?" 

"What is it, Kiddo?" 

"I gotta use the bat'room." 

Tony was inclined to make a teasing remark about how he didn't own a 'bat room', but he pushed that thought away in favor of helping the poor boy out. "Oh, shoot. Thanks for telling me, kid. Okay, there's a bathroom down the hall that way, to the left." He pointed towards where it was.

The boy nodded and hurried towards the room. "You good on your own?" 

"Mr. Stark! I'm a big boy," Peter whined with a look of indignance sent back Tony's way. 

"Okay, okay," Tony placated, laughing silently to himself. He got up, realizing that it was already five o'clock and Peter was probably feeling hungry, whether or not the boy wanted to tell him. "Fri, what do four year olds like to eat?" 

"That depends on the child, Boss. There aren't any universal dietary restrictions for children Peter's age, though Peter himself is allergic to shellfish and peanuts," the AI responded. "Why don't you ask Peter what he enjoys eating?" 

"Yeah, of course. Thanks, Fri." Why did he even ask that? Tony knew essentially how to care for Peter; he had basically been a part-time caretaker for the boy these past two months. But he was still overly worried, scared to mess something up. 

Luckily, the quiet sound of small socked feet running towards him was able to pull the man out of his thoughts. The little boy crashed into him, hugging his legs tightly. Tony knew that Peter was an affectionate boy, but it was made even more obvious today as the child kept clinging to him. "Mr. Stark, whatcha doin'?" 

"I'm thinking it's time for dinner, bud. What's your favorite thing to eat for dinner?" 

"I get to choose?!" Peter seemed genuinely surprised, his wide staring upwards hopefully.

"Yeah, whatever you want."

"Woah…," Peter mumbled. "Hmm… I like mac 'n cheese! An' pizza! An' chick'n nuggies, too!" 

"Well, how about we order pizza for tonight? And then maybe tomorrow you can have mac and cheese and chicken nuggets? How does that sound?" Tony failed at keeping the soft fondness out of his voice, the little one was just too adorable.

"Okay!" Then after a moment of hesitation, Peter asked quietly, "Can I have juice? Pwease?"

"Of course, Peter, you can always ask for anything you want." He opened the fridge, and luckily it wasn't empty. The only juice he had was orange juice, but Peter wasn't picky. Hopefully, the stuff he ordered for the boy would come soon, because he didn't have a sippy cup and he knew Peter to be slightly clumsy. 

"Here you go, kiddo. Now be careful," Tony said, bringing the (luckily) plastic cup over to the toddler. He helped Peter sit at the island and then the pair both sat in relative silence as Tony worked on some documents on his phone, the silence only interrupted occasionally as Peter would mumble excitedly about how huge the penthouse was. 

"Boss," Friday cut in. "The packages you ordered have arrived." 

"Alright Fri." Tony grinned at Peter's confused expression. "Tell them to place them in my private elevator. I trust you to take care of the rest." 

Peter was carefully sipping his juice and blinking up at Tony, confused. "What'd you get?" 

"Come see," Tony replied, moving over to set the boy on the ground, but instead Peter wrapped his arms around Tony's neck, holding on tight. Tony kept hold of the boy as they neared the elevator, deciding he didn't mind the extra weight. 

"Woah, that's a lot o' pack'ges, Mr. Stark!" The toddler exclaimed as the elevator opened up. Even though he was just picked up, Peter wiggled to get free and rush over. Tony chuckled, following and beginning to lift the packages up and bring them inside. 

"All of this is for you, Petey." The genius opened one of the boxes up and saw that it was filled with clothes. There were t-shirts, jeans, sweatpants, sweaters, and even various onesies. Peter peered inside and squealed in delight, pulling out an Iron Man onesie. 

"For me?!" 

"Yeah, bud. There's clothes, snacks, toys, as well as some necessities that will probably bore you…" When the word "toys" was said, Peter gasped and inspected all of the boxes, trying to figure out what was inside each of them. This must have felt like Christmas for the little one. 

When Tony finally opened the large box that held most of the toys, Peter was jumping in place, staring with wide eyes. Tiny hands began petting each plushie to see which was the softest and suddenly, with a gasp that startled the older man, Peter was running off back into the penthouse. "Pete? What is it?"

Just as the man was starting to get seriously worried, Peter dashed back into his line of sight clutching Worm tightly. "I forgot Worm. He was scared all by himself!" 

God, this kid. Only Peter would be so emotionally invested in a stuffed animal he got just hours earlier. 

"I bet he was," Tony murmured, nodding solemnly and ruffling the kid's curls. "Now what do you say we get your room set up while Friday orders us some pizza?" 

Peter grinned, reaching forward to give Tony a brief hug. "Yes, pwease!"

\---

The pair sat at the dining table, pizza just about finished up and of course, Peter had various smudges of sauce on his face. Tony couldn't find it in himself to care one bit as he reached over to clean the little boy's face. 

Peter was beginning to droop in his seat, his tiny words slowing and halting as he became more and more sleepy. It was nearing seven now, and it made sense that he was so tired, considering the exhausting day he had. 

"You ready for bed, honey?" Tony asked in a low tone. 

At first, Peter looked as though he wanted to argue and beg to stay up later, but instead he nodded slowly. Tony didn't have experience with putting the boy to bed at night, but when it came to his nap times, the only time he didn't argue was when he was minutes away from conking out. 

Tony tried to clean up their food as quick as possible before scooping up the toddler and bringing him to his bedroom. It definitely had more life now, with the bookshelf full of books that Peter liked, some of them even picture books. There were toys tucked in a toy chest and plushies sat on the bed against the wall. They still needed to get him a new bed, one small enough for a child his age. And they needed to paint the walls, Tony couldn't stand the beige color that carried no personality. Wow, he was already planning all of this as though Peter was staying for good. 

The pair went off into the bathroom that connected to Peter's room and Tony's set the boy on the step stool under the sink. "It's time to brush your teeth, okay?" 

Peter pulled a face, cutely scrunching his nose up, but he sleepily complied anyway. He quickly brushed his teeth and spit into the sink, before holding up his arms to be carried. How could Tony say no to that? 

The toddler was awake enough to change himself into his PJ's: a Hulk shirt and blue sweats. Tony was going to suggest that he read a book to him before bed (it still surprised him how easily he was able to shift into 'dad mode' for this kid), but Peter seemed on the verge of sleep already, clumsily sliding under the covers.

"Do you need anything before bed, Kiddo?" Tony asked softly, hesitating only slightly before sitting on the edge of the bed and running his fingers through Peter's curls. 

Peter looked like he was about to shake his head, but he paused and furrowed his brows. "Um…"

"Hey, you can always tell me what's on your mind. You know that, right?" 

Peter nodded. "Yeah. Um, is this real?"

"What do you mean, Pete?" Tony asked, now growing worried. 

"Am I gonna still be here tom'rr'w? Are you really gonna keep me?" The boy was looking up at him with the widest, most innocent brown eyes. He really did look unsure. 

"Peter, of course you'll still be here. I know this is a big change for you, and maybe it doesn't feel real. But I really am fostering you. You know, I wanted to foster you even before you asked me."

That last sentence had Peter gasping, hope shining in his eyes. "Really?" 

"Yep. But I was worried that I wouldn't be a good parent. You deserve a safe, loving home. I didn't know if I could give you that. I was nervous." 

Peter seemed shocked by this. Maybe it was the fact that his hero just admitted to feeling nervous. The toddler was about to argue, to reassure Tony, but the man continued, "But now I think that you were meant to be fostered by me. I want to try my best to take good care of you. If you want to stay here, then you can stay here." 

A wide, sunny smile spread across the little boy's face and he whispered, "T'ank you, Mr. Stark." 

"You have no reason to thank me." He stood up after one more gentle pat to Peter's curls. "Get some rest, bug. Tell Friday if you need anything." 

"Mhm," Peter hummed, his sleepy eyes finally closing. "G'night."

"Night, Kiddo."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally changed the title to something that I like more! It's a quote from Lilo and Stitch, one of my favorite movies as a kid :)  
> Also if y'all can't tell already, there really isn't much plot to this story, it's kinda just a fluffy family feels mess. That's just how it be! 
> 
> Enjoy chapter 4!! <3

Tony awoke the next morning to tiny giggles and clumsy movement on his bed. He resisted the urge to smile, wanting to pretend to be asleep a second longer. 

"Mr. Stark," Peter whispered, the voice right next to him and much too loud to actually be a whisper. There was a small hand patting his face. "Mr. Staaaark, wake up!" 

Making a show of pretending to be waking up, Tony groaned and yawned, blearing blinking his eyes open. Peter was sitting right against him, his face just inches from Tony's own. "Five more minutes, Petey." 

The little boy gave an adorable pout. "No! It's time 'o get up!" 

Tony was about to argue some more just to tease the little one, before Peter flashed his large, round puppy dog eyes. "Pwease, I'm hungwy, Mr. Stark…"

Having no clue whether the boy was just doing that to convince him or if he was actually hungry, Tony immediately sat up with a sigh. He scooped up Peter with a twirl and listened to the kid squeal in delight. "What's for breakfast, bud?" 

Peter watched as they neared the kitchen cupboards, gesturing towards a random one. "Cereal!" Tony was slightly surprised. He didn't think children actually enjoyed cereal if it wasn't the sugary kind, but Peter bounced happily in his seat as the man prepared him a bowl of plain cheerios and milk. 

As they were finishing up, Friday alerted the pair that Rhodey was on his way up. Tony realized that they were both still in their sleep clothes, so he had the boy run off to get changed. Shortly after Peter ran off to his room, Rhodey entered the penthouse. 

"Hey, Rhodey," Tony called over his shoulder as he cleaned up their dishes. 

"Look at you, actually cleaning up after yourself for the first time in ages. Where's the little squirt I heard about? He's already got you in full on 'dad mode'," Rhodey responded, coming into view and looking around the penthouse for Peter. 

"Oh, ha ha," Tony muttered with an eye roll. "Peter's getting changed. Why have you decided to grace us with your presence?" 

"I wanted to meet my nephew." Rhodey grinned. "I thought maybe we could all go to the park or something, get some fresh air." 

"Yeah, sure," Tony mumbled. He hesitated, and then, "Rhodey, I'm just fostering him for now. He's not… my kid."

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. "Okay. But Tony, I know you, and you wouldn't foster a kid unless he was already family. You don't give false hope." 

Tony wanted to argue, to say how nervous he was. He already knew how much he cared for Peter after visiting him these past couple months, but there was the fear at the back of his mind. The uncertainty. What if he messed this up? 

His thoughts were interrupted by Peter colliding with his legs and rambling happily, "Mr. Stark, Friday is so so so nice! She helped me pick out my ou'fit. Do you like it?" 

The boy did a little spin, showing off his Iron Man hoodie and blue jeans. Friday must have mentioned the park to him because he was wearing light up sneakers and a Captain America backpack. He looked ready to go, a toothy grin overtaking his freckled face. 

"You look so stylish, bug," Tony cooed, glancing up to see Rhodey smiling at them. "Say 'hi' to Rhodey, Peter." 

The boy realized that someone else was there with them and he blushed faintly and gave a small wave. "Hello, Mr. Rhodey," he mumbled.

"Hi, Peter. It's nice to meet you." Rhodey bent down to shake the boy's hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

That made the toddler beam, looking between Tony and Rhodey in glee. 

"Pete, why don't you show Rhodey your new toys?" Tony suggested. "I just have to go get dressed, then we can go to the park."

"Okay, Mr. Stark!" And then Peter was grabbing Rhodey's hand and dragging the man towards his room. Tony watched them go with a small smile.

\---

Luckily, the park wasn't as crowded as it could have been. Tony was glad because he would rather do without the unwanted attention. But also because Peter tended to be shy around other kids his age and the billionaire didn't want to overwhelm him. He also definitely didn't want to overwhelm him with a sea of news reporters. Which is why they hardly left the home at all and Tony made sure anyone who knew about Peter kept quiet. The boy didn't need all of that attention right now, he was going through a lot of changes. 

It was a humble little park with plenty of trees around that some kids were climbing. Getting some fresh air was definitely a good idea. Though Peter seemed to be a tad apprehensive. After a bit of gentle persuasion on Tony's part, Peter set his little backpack down in Tony's lap and left the two men sitting at a bench as he went to explore the park. 

Before long the boy was climbing up and down the jungle gym and sliding down the various different slides. Tony knew Peter was fairly independent for a kid his age, but it was made even more apparent here as he played by himself for a good fifteen minutes.

And then there was another little boy around Peter's age calling out to him. Peter turned around, confused, but quickly shrugged it off and joined the other kid. The awkwardness was almost painful at first, but eventually Peter opened up more and laughed with the other as they tried to see who could swing higher on the swings. 

Both men laughed when they saw Peter digging for bugs, showing them to his friend, and then carefully covering them in dirt again. 

"He's a cute kid."

"Yeah, he is," Tony replied, smiling at the little pair of boys. "I'm glad he found a friend. I was worried, he's a bit shy."

"He's a kid, Tones. That's what they do best: goof around with other kids." 

Before Tony could respond, he noticed Peter abruptly sit down on the woodchips. Ned looked concerned, asking the boy something and then Tony realized it. Peter was struggling to breathe, his cheeks obviously pink even from this distance. His new friend looked around for help, and Tony was on his feet jogging over to the boys before he knew it. "Peter!"

The genius knelt down in front of the boys. "What happened?" He asked, watching in fear as Peter wheezed and gasped for breath. 

The other boy's mother joined them quickly as her son stuttered out, "I-I don't know, he seemed fine a second ago!" 

"He looks like he might be having an asthma attack," the woman suggested, sounding worried as well. 

Peter nodded his head jerkily, trying to croak out some words. "M-my inh'l'r…" He was pointing at his backpack, which was still on the bench. How could Tony forget that Peter had asthma? He needed another adult and the boy himself to tell him before he would remember. The genius felt like a failure. Tony swallowed down his guilt, watching Rhodey pick up on the cues and bring the bag over to the group. The man tried to keep his anxiety under control as the little boy he had just taken in painfully gasped for breath. 

Digging through the bag, Tony was quickly able to locate the inhaler (he noticed that Peter brought Worm with him and Tony's heart swelled) and before he could pass it over to Peter, the kid, ever so self-sufficient, grabbed it from him. Slowly he breathed in the medicine as Tony rubbed his back and whispered what he hoped were soothing words. "Good job, bug. You're gonna be just fine."

He noticed the woman also trying to comfort her son, who seemed a little spooked by the whole situation. "Thank you," Tony murmured, giving her a grateful smile. 

"It was nothing. My sister has asthma so I have the experience. My name is Sarah Leeds. And this is my son, Ned." She motioned to the nervous boy at her side.

"Tony Stark. And this is Peter." The toddler in question was breathing better but he was now making grabby hands, and Tony complied, picking him up and settling him on his hip. The boy immediately began to doze. Rhodey silently put the inhaler back into the bag and walked over to rub Peter's shoulder, smiling sympathetically. 

Tony was glad that Sarah didn't seem too fazed at all by the fact that she was talking to Tony Stark. Ned was another matter entirely. The boy was gaping and staring at him in complete surprise. Wishing to skip the drama (for once), Tony tried to wrap it up. 

"Alright, well, I should get going. I bet Peter's tired. Oh, and-" Tony pulled out some drawing paper from Peter's bag and quickly wrote something on one piece. "-this is my private number. Peter doesn't have many friends his age, and I bet he would love it if we could set up a playdate or something." 

"Oh, I think Ned would love that." Ned nodded excitedly, trying to make eye contact with Peter but with no luck. The kid was out like a light. The genius almost felt jealous of the boy drooling on his shoulder. After that scare, Tony was down for a nap, too. 

\---

So the two of them had a lazy day and Rhodey stuck around until lunch time to read books to Peter and try to bond with the boy, even if the kid wasn't really into it. His earlier attack had taken out most of his energy, leaving him spacey and quiet. 

Eventually, Rhodey had to leave to do some work and Tony was left with a toddler clinging to him everywhere he went. After some time, Tony stopped trying to fight it, and he pulled the boy close to his chest, relaxing on the couch to watch some educational kid's shows. 

"Petey?" Tony called out, watching as the boy turned his attention away from the TV and towards him. 

"Hmm?" Peter hummed quietly.

"Next time this happens, you tell me before it gets too bad, okay? I was really scared. I should have picked up on the cues earlier, but I… I guess I assumed your asthma wasn't that bad, but that's not an excuse. I'm sorry." 

Peter shook his head against his chest and wrapped his small arms around Tony. "It's no' your fault, Mr. Stark. You did your best." 

Tony tightened his arms around Peter. "Next time, I'll do better. I promise, Kiddo."

Then the toddler looked up at Tony with a sweet smile. "Okay. T'ank you fo' takin' care of me." The genius felt like his heart might burst; how was this boy allowed to be so adorable?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is on the shorter side, sorry! Thank u all for sticking with this story, even though I know it's not all that good. I specialize in writing mindless fluff, so it's hard for me to write a multi chaptered story with actual plot!   
> Also, I think I've finished writing all the chapters, though it might be 8 instead of 9 in total because I can't decide if I even need to write an epilogue (the final chapter already kinda wraps it all up)??? So, I think I'll change it to 8 total chapters. 
> 
> Anyways! Sorry, I rambled.   
> Warning: there is talk of past child neglect in this chapter, Peter's parents were shitty.

It had been a week since Peter's asthma attack at the park, and the two of them seemed to be picking up a routine. 

They would wake up and have breakfast together and afterward, Peter would spend much too long picking out his outfit (he was still surprised that he had so much to choose from). When it came to meals, they would alternate between ordering out and Tony cooking for them. But Peter made it clear that he enjoyed the billionaire's home-cooked meals more and that warmed the man's heart. 

After lunch everyday, Peter would have nap time and then when he slept, Tony tried to squeeze in the time to tinker in the lab. Much like how they spent their free time when Peter was in the group home, the pair would read together and build puzzles. Tony made sure to order lots of larger 1000 piece puzzles, much to Peter's amazement. There was currently an Avengers-themed puzzle being built on the coffee table. 

Rhodey and Pepper visited frequently, the ladder only began when she needed to speak to Tony about business-related topics but it quickly changed when she got to know Peter. Now Pepper visited solely to play with the little boy, almost completely ignoring Tony while she was there. Even then, Tony could tell that she was missing him just as much as he was missing her, if the fond smiles as the man coddled Peter were anything to go by. 

An important part of their new routine was bedtime. The genius made sure the boy knew he needed to brush his teeth every night and then when he was changed into his PJ's, Tony would read a book to him until he was deeply asleep. 

Tonight, he was reading a picture book that he had read about three other times, but Peter was just as excited every night, begging Tony to read it. By the end of the book, the tyke's doe eyes were drooping heavily as he snuggled deeper into his new bed, this one actually small enough for him. "And they all lived happily ever after." 

Tony resisted the urge to coo as Peter yawned dramatically. "Tha's my fav'r'te one…"

"I know, Petey," Tony murmured, standing up to put the book away. "You've told me at least five times already." 

All he got in response was a tiny snore, and sure enough, Peter was fully immersed in dreamland. 

"Night, little bug," Tony whispered, bending down to place a kiss on his forehead before he could realize what he was doing. God, he was such a dad and he couldn't even bring himself to mind.

\---

After tinkering away in his lab until two in the morning, Tony finally was able to get some rest. It was comforting, doing what he did best: building or fixing things. But it was still important for him to get some rest; taking care of children truly was exhausting. 

Tony only managed about an hour and a half of sleep before frightening noises woke him up. A child crying. His eyes immediately flying open, Tony rushed to turn on the bedside lamp, coming face to face with a sobbing Peter who had managed to crawl on his bed, not for the first time. He needed to tell the boy to stop climbing up, one day he might fall and hurt himself. He was just so tiny.

When Tony got a good look at the little boy in front of him, his heart ached. Peter's face was red and his cheeks were shining from tears. He sniffled and hiccuped pitifully in his Iron Man shirt and Hawkeye sweats. 

"Hi, baby," Tony whispered, not wanting to disturb the boy if he spoke too loud. "What happened?" 

That's all it took for the child to launch himself at Tony, clinging on tight. He pressed himself impossibly close to the man's chest, little fingers clutching at the work-worn band shirt. Tony, on instinct, wrapped his arms securely around the trembling boy. Peter sobbed harshly. "Daddy," he whined. "Don' go."

Tony was frozen in shock for a moment, his thoughts a whirlwind of panic (He thought of Tony as his father? But Peter deserved better than him.). No, Peter needed him now. He couldn't afford to drown in his scared, selfish thoughts. Not when Peter was probably remembering all of the horrible crap he went through, that a child his age shouldn't have to go through.

"Pwease, Daddy…" Peter's speech issues only got worse whenever he was anxious or excited. "I'm sowwy!" 

"Shhh, it's okay," Tony tried his best to console the scared boy. "I'm here, sweetheart. I'm not leaving." 

Peter continued to whimper and whine, warm tears soaking into Tony's shirt. The man carded his fingers through soft brown curls, and the toddler leaned into the touch, seeking comfort. Eventually, Peter's breathing evened out but he still continued to cry, though silently this time. Tony whispered reassurances the whole time, holding his kid close. 

"Buddy, did you have a bad dream?" That was the only explanation he could think of for his behavior. 

Peter nodded his head against his chest, sniffling loudly. "Do you wanna tell me what it was about? You don't have to but it might help you feel better." 

Then those doe eyes were looking up at him through a cloud of tears as the little one took a deep, shuddering breath. "I thought you left…"

"Why would I leave you?" Of course, Tony would have to leave the boy's side sometimes, though he had a feeling that that wasn't the sort of 'left' Peter was talking about.

"I was bad… I don' rem'mb'r but I know I was bein' bad," Peter mumbled, his lip wobbling. "You stopped talkin' to me and said you din't love me no more and I had t' go back t' the group h'me…" The toddler brought his gaze back up to Tony, fear clouding his eyes. The man felt like his own heart might shatter. "Pwease don' stop lovin' me!" Then, almost impossibly quiet, "L-like Mary an' Rich'rd…"

Tony furrowed his brows in confusion. "Like who, baby?" 

Peter flushed, looking guilty. He fiddled with his little fingers in nervousness. "Mary and Richard. My… mom and dad."

The genius never actually researched Peter's history. He didn't know the boy's parents' names. And what was more shocking than the kid having a nightmare about his worst fears, was the fact that he called his parents by their first names. Tony felt a cold fury fill his veins, wondering just how horrible those people were to this sweet boy.

Tony really hoped he wasn't about to pry too much, but he asked anyway. Hopefully Peter knew that he didn't have to answer. "Why do you call your parents that?"

Peter shrugged. "They didn't wan' me to call them 'mom' and 'dad'. Said they never wanted a kid… it's not th'r fault…"

Who would ever tell their baby that? That they didn't truly want them? And this sweet boy never put the blame on them. Peter was too good for this world. Even after growing up in a loveless, neglectful home for the first two years of his life, he was still so kind.

"Peter, listen to me." The boy looked up at that, his brown eyes wide. "What they did was wrong. There is nothing that you could do that would ever make me want to abandon you or stop caring about you." Peter looked like he wanted to argue, but Tony shook his head. "Nothing. You are safe here, okay? This is your home."

It started with another lip wobble, and then a low whine, before Peter was crying again, curled up in Tony's lap. The man wiped the tears away with his thumbs, large palms on warm cheeks. "Oh, baby." 

And they stayed like that for a bit longer, Tony holding the (his) child in strong arms as Peter cried his little heart out. The pair eventually drifted off to sleep, worn out from the anxiety on both ends.

\---

Tony awoke to a warm little body laying sprawled out on his chest and the morning sun trying desperately to shine through the closed curtains. He sat up drowsily, keeping the boy in a secure hold. One of Peter's thumbs was halfway in his mouth, and Tony smiled fondly. The habit really only came up when Peter was nervous or if he was too sleepy to realize what he was doing. 

Combing gentle fingers through the little one's hair, Tony tried to slowly ease him into the land of the living. "Bambino, time to get up." 

Not even a minute later, brown eyes were blinking blearily up at him and Peter was flashing a sleepy smile. "G'morning, Mr. Stark." 

Oh, so he was back to Mr. Stark? Was Peter even aware that he had called Tony 'Daddy' last night? The billionaire couldn't say he minded the title, but he was worried that Peter might get too attached. Tony still had his doubts about this being the best home for the boy, and even though his heart ached to adopt Peter, he wanted to give it some more time. Make sure that it was the best for Peter. 

"Hi, Petey." He booped the boy's freckled nose and watched as he giggled. "What do you want to do today?" 

Still giggling, and suddenly wide awake, Peter wiggled out of his grasp and climbed down from the bed. "Be careful, bud," Tony called, moving to help the boy but Peter was quicker. 

"Worm!" Peter exclaimed, picking up the plushie that he must have dropped in his haste to get to Tony last night. 

Suddenly, Peter whirled around with a grin. "Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark!" 

"Yes, Petey?" Tony swung his legs over the bed, stretching.

In the blink of an eye, Peter was sprinting out of the room and calling back, "Catch me!" 

The man felt his heart absolutely turn to mush, and with a quiet chuckle, he grinned and raced out of the room after the boy. He didn't even think twice, pulled forward by the sweet laughter of his favorite little toddler.

The two of them sped around the large living area of the penthouse, the early morning light shining on their figures, clad in sleep clothes. Peter attempted to distract Tony, pointed behind the man, and when his back was turned, the boy hid behind the couch, catching his breath. Just when he thought he was safe, a pair of strong arms scooped him up and held him tightly. 

Peter squealed in delight as he was spun around and a loud, raspberry was blown on one of his rosy cheeks. "I gotcha!" Tony exclaimed, squeezing the tyke close to his chest. Peter quickly stopped his squirming, giving in with a content sigh and hugging his guardian tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank u all so much for reading :')


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6!! Once again, thank u all for the support, it's honestly crazy to me that people actually enjoy my writing... y'all are too kind :)
> 
> Enjoy!! <3

To say that Tony was nervous was an understatement. He had almost worked holes into the floor with his pacing. He couldn't help his intense protective instincts, no matter how much the genius planned and prepared. 

Peter wanted to go with Tony to his lab. It made sense that eventually the little boy would want to check out all the gadgets and learn how his hero, Iron Man, worked. He had been begging Tony non-stop the past couple days. 

Finally, he had given in, but first he had to set up various safety measures. Friday was to be constantly monitoring the little boy in case Tony was distracted. Particularly dangerous tools were on high shelves and anything that had the potential to trip Peter was tucked away. All of his alcohol was locked up, but then again, it had been for awhile (as well as the alcohol he had in the living area). 

Despite all of this, Tony planned on watching Peter the whole time and keeping the boy close to his side, at least for the man's own comfort. 

Currently, the two of them were eating at the Tower's highest level cafeteria, this one being open to the interns and scientists that worked at SI. Tony had been making an attempt to get the boy out more without taking him to actual crowded public areas. 

He was still wary of the press, knowing how suffocating it could be living your life with strangers gawking at your every move and breathing down your neck. The billionaire wanted to spare that from Peter's life, at least as much as he could before Pepper helped him set up a press conference to announce his position in the boy's life. He would rather keep Peter a secret for as long as he could, but realistically he knew that would only spur the reporters on more, create more rumors. 

So here they sat, surrounded by SI workers on their lunch breaks. Peter had slowly, happily eaten all of his chicken nuggets and was now nibbling on fries drenched in ketchup as he stared out the large glass wall at the New York streets. 

Tony, having already finished his burger, was mindlessly tapping at his phone, looking over some paperwork Pepper had sent him. He was content to just sit and wait for Peter to finish his lunch. That was something he realized as of late: he had so much more patience since he took Peter in. (Maybe this was how all parents felt.)

Peter's attention was turned away from the window at the same time that a young voice called out, "Oh, hello. Who might you be?" 

There was a tinge of apprehension in the voice, and Tony peered up, spotting one of SI's brightest interns. She was a young, college-aged girl with bright pink hair and Tony, for the life of him, could not remember her name. She looked between him and Peter, as though wondering if maybe she shouldn't be addressing the young boy. 

But Peter was beaming, and Tony saw the table shake as he kicked his little feet against the table leg. He responded to the curious girl with a chirpy, "My name is Peter!" 

When Tony made no move to tell her that she couldn't speak to the boy (afterall, he was sitting with The Tony Stark), she smiled wide and stepped closer. "Hi, Peter. My name is Hannah." She glanced at the fries that Peter was still stuffing in his mouth. "How's your lunch?" 

"It's good!" Peter replied in between bites and Tony just barely resisted the urge to wipe off the ketchup on the boy's cheek in front of so many people. 

Tony was used to workers in the building and even Ned's mother being confused about his relationship to the toddler. He supposed it made sense; most people only knew him as the eccentric, emotionally-detached billionaire. They couldn't fathom why someone like him would willingly be seen with a child. Nevertheless, he was just a tad thrown off when the girl hardly hesitated before beginning to ask, "Is Mr. Stark your…?"

The genius cut her off before she could finish. "Peter is currently in my care. I'm his…" He faltered. It felt so formal and detached to call himself Peter's guardian. But he knew he wasn't the boy's father. Peter deserved the time to figure out what he wanted, whether that be to stay here or… live someplace else. Tony didn't want to rush anything. To make that decision for Peter. 

The toddler was nodding, smiling enthusiastically. "He's my da- my Mr. Stark!" 

Tony couldn't deny the smile that overtook his features at Peter's slip up. He was surprised to find that he hardly felt scared, and instead he felt a swell of happiness rise in his chest. 

Hannah gave a small chuckle and before she could respond in any way, Peter blurted out, "Can I see wh're you work?" 

"Hmm," Hannah grinned. "That's all up to Mr. Stark. But I think with the right amount of supervision, a quick peek won't hurt anyone." 

Peter turned to Tony with wide, pleading eyes. "I don't know, bud. Maybe after you visit my lab, we can think about checking out the other ones." 

He knew that his personal lab was definitely much more dangerous than the intern labs, considering they were being supervised and didn't have the abundance of resources he had, though they still had as much as they needed. The billionaire could tell that Hannah was thinking the same thing, as her eyes opened wide in shock at his comment. 

And sure, maybe logically he knew the intern labs were 'safer' but in his lab, he personally felt more comfortable and knew his way around it like the back of his hand. 

"Okaaay," Peter whined, pouting dramatically. 

Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes, reaching over to steal a fry and listening as Peter squawked in indignation. He was fully aware that the boy was itching to learn and experience the world in a way that the penthouse just couldn't give him. Someday. For right now, they would just stick to the Tower and occasional visits to small parks and the Leeds's house. (They really needed to have that press conference soon; after all, Peter was going into kindergarten next year.)

"Alright, well, maybe someday you can visit," Hannah smiled at the pair's little interaction. "I know we would all be ecstatic to have you." She glanced around as though looking for a friend and then paused, nodding at someone. "I'll see you later, Peter."

"Bye!" Peter waved, beaming like the sun. 

\---

"Friday, wha's your fav'rite color?" As the elevator brought them down to the lab, Peter excitedly chattered away with Friday. It was the next day, and Peter could not stop pestering Tony about the intern labs, even before he had seen Tony's. 

"I don't know, Peter," the AI responded, her tone fond. 

"Hmm, are you sure? Ev'ryone has a fav'rite color! Mine is blue," the boy announced with a wide smile up at the ceiling.

Friday, who had become wrapped around the tyke's little finger since he first started living at the Tower, replied, "I think I like blue the most, as well." Of course, she couldn't have an actual opinion on the matter, but her response was enough to have Peter nodding enthusiastically. 

"Blue is the bes'! What abou' you, Mr. Stark?" 

"I'm partial to red," Tony said absentmindedly as they reached the floor and he did a once-over for the hundredth time to ensure it was safe enough for the boy.

"Red is good, too!" And then Peter's attention was elsewhere, as he took in the sight of the lab. "Woaaah!"

Immediately, the little boy ran over to Dum-E, staring wide-eyed at the robot, who whirred quietly and moved closer. Peter fell into a fit of giggles as Dum-E lowered a claw onto his mass of curls. Tony suppressed the urge to coo at the pair.

"Who're you?" Peter asked, giving the robot a tender hug after his laughter had died down.

"That's Dum-E," Tony answered, staying close to the boy. Definitely not in an overly-protective manner. "He's a bit of a fool-"

"You named him Dummy?!" Peter looked absolutely scandalized. "Tha's mean, Mr. Stark!" 

Tony didn't even have time to respond before the boy's attention was elsewhere, as he dashed over to stand in front of the newest mark of the Iron Man suit. Tony made sure there weren't any exposed wires, and he would have put the suit away entirely, but he knew Peter would be excited to see it. 

"It's Iron Man," Peter murmured, placing a tiny hand on the leg of the armor. He was in complete awe, literal stars in his eyes. 

Tony let him wander a bit and gasp at every little robot and device, watching him like a scared parent. He now got overly nervous whenever Peter runned around a lot, afraid that the child would have another asthma attack. But since the park incident, it had never gotten that bad again, though there had been some scares, and Tony was always quick to give the boy his inhaler every time. The man now carried one in his pocket with him at all times. He wasn't paranoid, okay? Just prepared. 

Eventually though, the genius scooped the boy up (he laughed a bit, loving the feeling of being held up high), before plopping Peter next to him on a workbench. 

"Alright, Petey, I need to get to work. Do you wanna watch me?" 

Peter gasped. "Can I?" 

With a fond chuckle, Tony replied, "Of course." and got to work. 

He decided that today he would only be working with holograms and equations. He didn't trust anything else to be safe with Peter so close by. But nonetheless, the tyke was easy to entertain. His fascination for the displays themselves was endearing; he probably hadn't seen anything like them before. 

Tony tried to explain what he was working on in simple terms for Peter to understand, hoping to maybe make this an educational experience. And Peter was a smart boy, but he easily got distracted and about a half hour later, he was rambling to Dum-E about whatever was in his little head. The robot had rolled over to the pair and he beeped and whirred in response to the boy, for once being a decent listener.

Tony jolted in surprise when he felt a weight crawl into his lap. Looking downwards, there was a pair of brown doe eyes staring back at him. The little one, having maneuvered himself so he was sitting comfortably with his right side pressed against the man's chest, grinned widely and whispered, "Dummy says he f'rgives you for bein' mean."

"Pft," Tony snorted. "If anyone's the mean one, it's Dum-E." He wrapped an arm around the boy to support him. "He's disrespectful." 

"Nooo," Peter whined, burying his nose into Tony's collarbone. "He's nice to me." 

"Of course he's nice to you, Bambino. You're cute. Unlike this old man."

Peter smiled bashfully at the compliment, a soft giggle escaping his mouth. He hugged Tony as tight as his little arms could. "Are you done workin' yet?" 

And, well, Tony felt like he had gotten enough done anyway. Pepper wouldn't scold him if she knew Peter was his reason for slacking. So Tony nodded and stood up with the toddler still in his arms. "For you? Hmm, I guess. What, do you have plans today that I'm keeping you from?" 

Laughing, Peter responded, his cheeks red with joy, "N-no." Then, after a moment of hesitation(Tony wished Peter didn't worry about asking for things, it broke his heart.), "C'n we watch a movie?" 

"Yeah. You know what? I think that's a great idea." He headed to the elevator, bringing them back up to the living room. "There's these movies that I think you'll really like." The kid was a total nerd, of course he would like Star Wars.

\---

And Tony was right.

Peter was enthralled by A New Hope, his attention captured for the whole movie. Which was honestly surprising, usually the kid couldn't stay still. Tony doubted Peter actually understood what was happening in the film, but at least he seemed to be enjoying all the different, weird characters and the dorky humor. He was particularly entranced by the scenes where they showed the expanse of space. 

"Is space really like that? Al'ens and ships and pwanets?" 

Tony had seen space before, though only briefly. But he knew that it was large and dark and terrifying. There definitely was the possibility of a galaxy similar to this one being out there somewhere. So he nodded. "It could be. The universe is a big place, bud." 

Peter appeared to be satisfied with that answer, so he turned back to the movie. He reached over to stuff his face with buttery popcorn.

The rest of the movie went on similarly, and by the time they were done, Peter was due for a nap. But the boy was much too excited, blabbering on about Jedi and robots, eager to watch the next movie. "Alright, alright, Petey. You need to take your nap now."

Peter pouted dramatically, hoping to sway Tony with his cuteness. He really was a smart boy. "But 'm not tired!"

"How about after your nap, we can watch the next one? And we can order your favorite pizza for dinner." 

Eyes lighting up with glee, Peter gave Tony a quick hug and then ran off to his room. "Okay! I'm napping now." 

This boy was so sweet. How did Tony get this lucky?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is cliche and cheesy as all hell but I love how it turned out <3   
> Just one more chapter left!   
> Enjoy <3

"Buddy, you know I have to go," Tony reminded the sulking boy. "I would rather spend time with you, but this is important. They need me."

Peter continued to pout at his puzzle pieces, little hands fiddling with them in pretend concentration. It was a Star Wars puzzle. It had been around two weeks since he introduced Peter to Star Wars, and the boy was slowly becoming obsessed. He learned that his friend Ned also loved the movies, and sometimes they would have playdates and play with the other boy's Star Wars action figures. 

Peter peeked up to stare into the man's soul with sad puppy eyes. "I need you, too." 

The words were only whispered, barely recognizable, but Tony felt his heart break a little bit nonetheless. "It'll just be an hour. Two hours, tops. And you aren't alone." He picked up the puppy-dog stuffy that the toddler loved so much and set it next to Peter on the couch. "You have Worm. And Friday. Not to mention, Pepper is coming over to watch you, too." 

Tony had had to leave Peter for work related reasons before. It's not like he had never left his side before. But Peter had a particularly bad nightmare the night before and had been clinging to the man all morning. 

Tony wished he could stay here instead of going to the meeting, but this was the one where they were going to discuss negotiations with Steve and his team. Most likely, the rogues were going to be returning to the Tower. Tony didn't think he was ready for that, the thought of Siberia still sent him into panic attacks. But logically, he knew he needed to forgive and move on for the greater good. So for now, he would keep pushing forward.

A whine from the toddler in front of him startled Tony out of his thoughts. "No. I wan' you to stay."

Tony sighed, watching from his peripheral as Pepper walked out of the elevator and towards the pair. "Peter, I know this is difficult for you, but you're a big boy. And it won't take long at all. Before you know it, I'll be back."

Pepper nodded, sitting down next to the boy with a soft smile. "Tony's right." 

"Hi, Ms. Potts," Peter mumbled, remembering his manners even now. 

"Hello, Pete," Pepper replied, leaning down to catch the sulking boy's eyes. "Tony said you got a new book. Would you like me to read it to you?" 

Peter nodded reluctantly, his sad gaze shifting between the two adults. He slowly lifted his arms out towards Tony. "Hug?" He whispered.

Tony rushed forward to engulf Peter in a warm hug, tiny fingers clutching at his suit jacket. "Of course, bug. I'll see you soon, I swear." 

With teary eyes and a small nod, Peter watched Tony walk away. "Bye…" The crackely words were barely heard.

"Bye, buddy."

\---

The longer Tony sat through this meeting, the harder it got to think clearly. At first, he was bored; the formalities much too similar to any other meeting he had been to. But this one was different. His old teammates, people he thought he could call his family, uncomfortably tried to avoid his gaze. The conversation was stilted and it was obvious that everyone would rather be anywhere but here.

But Steve and his rogues held their ground anyway. There were going to be lots of revisions to the accords and they would be pardoned, even if Tony had to drag himself through pile after pile of paperwork. He knew it was the best choice to be made. Some of them had families that they missed dearly. Not to mention that the world might need the Avengers again, and they had to sort out their differences if they wanted to be of the most use.

All of this didn't cease Tony's panicked thoughts one bit. Every glance Steve's way, every time the super soldier would address him coldly, Tony would feel his unsteady heart rate pick up just that little bit more. Sometimes the man could still feel the shield being rammed into his chest, could still see those cold eyes piercing straight through to his soul. 

But he kept his end of the deal. Tony participated in the meeting and vouched for the rogues. He told himself he was being better. The bigger man. He needed to move on from the past. Anyways, even if they moved back to the Tower, it's not like they would live on the same floor as him. He didn't have to see them. 

"Boss?"

Tony blinked back to reality, unaware that he was spacing out in his anxiety. "What is it, Fri? Another intern set their lab on fire? I'm busy right now."

"Boss, this is-" 

"Fri, it can wait." Normally he would jump at the chance to ditch a meeting. But not today. Whether that was because of his panic making him snappy or his desire to finish up the meeting and get back to Peter as soon as possible.

Thankfully, the AI quieted down and let them continue their discussion. They were nearing the end, and Tony was growing restless, his breathing quickening every time he had to make eye contact with Steve. 

After a moment, they were interrupted again. But this time instead of it being the AI, it was a little figure that barged into the room. Tony would know those unruly curls and brown doe eyes anywhere. Peter. Is this what Friday was trying to tell him about?

The child was sobbing softly, his breath coming out in tiny gasps as he raked his eyes over the adults in the room, Worm clutched tightly in his arms. "Daddy!" He called when he spotted Tony, the man's eyes wide in surprise. 

Dropped his stuffy on the floor in his haste, Peter hurried over to the billionaire, climbing up to sit in his lap. "Bug, what are you doing here? What happened?" Tony held the little one tight, trying his best to ignore the confused and shocked looks of his ex-teammates. 

"I-I…," Peter stuttered, squeezing himself as close as he could get to Tony. 

"Shh, I'm right here. You're okay, Bambino." Tony shot a glare at Fury as the man stared at him incredulously, looking like he wanted to complain.

"I miss'd you," the little one mumbled, finally able to force the words out. This kid came running into the meeting room with tears rolling down his cheeks just because he missed Tony? The man couldn't help but feel his heart ache.

"Aw, baby, I missed you, too." And Tony did. He had desperately been wishing to get back to his child the whole meeting. "How did you get past Pepper?"

The boy's tears started to dry up and he sniffled loudly, peeking up at Tony with a wide smile. He seemed to already be feeling better after getting to see Tony again. "She wa' in the bat'room when I lef'." 

Tony burst out into laughter for the first time that day, holding Peter even tighter. "You little troublemaker. She is going to be so worried." He turned to look up at the ceiling, an unnecessary habit that he was picking up from Peter. "Fri, make sure Pepper knows that Peter is fine and he's with me."

"Of course, Boss."

"Who is this, Tony?" Steve finally asked what most of them had been wondering. 

The familiar jolt of panic that came around every time Steve spoke to him fizzled out as the boy in his lap piped up, "Are you the 'vengers?" His little eyes twinkled brightly. 

That seemed to soften everyone's edges, the group smiling at the bundle of sunshine in Tony's arms. They all introduced themselves, Peter gasping loudly with every introduction. 

Clint was a natural at starting conversation with the boy. He went off on a small tangent about his own children and told him about how sometimes his youngest, Nathaniel, misses him a lot when he's gone for a long time. (Peter felt even better after hearing that. He gasped quietly into Tony's ear, "H'keye has babies, too!")

When it came time for Tony to enlighten them on the situation, he hesitated. There was a protective voice in his head that wanted to keep the boy a secret, for his own safety. But he told himself that if he was putting Peter in danger, then he would have been in danger right when he walked through that door. They would figure out who he was either way. "This is Peter. I'm fostering him right now." 

If the group was surprised about anything, it would be the fact that Peter wasn't biologically Tony's son. The man knew he acted incredibly parental with Peter. How could he not? The boy made him a softy. 

Though Nat didn't look phased at all by the declaration; Tony assumed she must have already known and he couldn't say he was shocked, used to her prying into his personal affairs. 

Leaning close to Tony, as though to tell him something secret, Peter whispered (much too loudly), "'m tired, Mr. Stark."

Tony couldn't help but beam, glad to actually have a reason to leave the meeting. He rose from his seat, holding his precious cargo close. "You heard the kid. It's nap time." 

"Tony," Fury ground out. "We aren't done here."

"We were just about done. And now I have something more important to tend to. If there's paperwork for me to sign, send it over." And with that he strolled out of the room, scooping up Worm on the way, missing the smiles on his ex-teammate's faces and the frown on Fury's.

\---

Pepper looked Peter over intensely, even though Tony said that the kid was fine. She was incredibly apologetic for losing sight of him, but she made a point of not saying that to Tony and instead she directed her regret towards Peter. The boy smiled and shrugged, oblivious to the woman's worry. Eventually, she did make her exit, but not without hugging the boy and wishing him a good day. 

"Peter, you can't interrupt my meetings like that again. It was fine this time because I trust those people (enough) for them to know about you. But it could have been different." The two of them were reclined together on Peter's bed, preparing for nap time, Peter curled up in his lap once again, too afraid that if he didn't stay as close as possible, Tony would leave again. 

Peter bit his bottom lip nervously. "You don' want anyone to know 'bout me? Why? Did-did I…"

"No, no, bud, that's not it," Tony was quick to console. "It's not your fault. The world just doesn't know that I'm fostering you yet. It could be dangerous for you." 

But Peter didn't seem to understand. "B-but we are fam'ly, right? Or are you gonna give me back s'meday…" It devastated Tony to know that Peter was afraid of being left behind again. After everything he had been through with his biological parents and other foster parents, Peter deserved a constant. Above all else, he deserved to feel loved. Tony wondered why he was ever even considering this not being permanent. 

"Peter, listen to me." He reached down to cup the boy's cheeks in his palms. "It's not that we aren't a family. I just didn't know if you were ready for all that attention, for your life to change… to make it official." Understanding was beginning to appear in Peter's eyes, wide and filled with hope. Tony took a deep breath and continued. "Peter, I've been thinking about this for a while now. Would you like for me to… adopt you?"

Tony was glad he didn't have to explain what that meant. After living in the group home for so long, Peter seemed to know full well what those words mean. Breaking into a sunny grin and giving a squeal of pure joy, Peter hugged Tony tight around the neck. "Yes yes yes! Yes pwease!" 

Laughing with relief, happy in a way he hadn't been for a long time now, Tony pressed a kiss to his child's curls. This is it. It wouldn't take long for the paperwork to go through (Tony had already prepared it, but his nerves were holding him back) and then they would legally be father and son. Tony felt like finally, everything was falling into place. 

"Um…" A glance downwards showed Peter gazing up at him with happiness but also a bit of uncertainty. 

"What is it, Petey?" He brushed back the boy's curls with practiced hands, watching as he leaned into the touch.

"D-does that mean you're my Daddy now?" 

Honestly, Tony had been this little boy's father a while now. He has been ever since Peter started living with him a month ago. Maybe even before then. So it wasn't difficult, in fact, it felt natural for him to smile fondly and murmur, "Yes, baby. As long as that's what you want." 

Chocolate brown eyes spilling with tears stared into his own for a second, before Peter stuffed his face into Tony's suit jacket. "I fin'lly have a Daddy…!"

Tony tried his best to stop his own tears from falling, but he failed in the end. Bending down, he pressed kiss after kiss onto Peter's red cheeks, as the child burst into a fit of adorable giggles. "And I couldn't ask for a better baby boy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :''')


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is: the last chapter!! Thank u all so much for the support, I know I don't respond to every comment, but just know that I read them all and they make my day <3  
> While I won't be making an actual sequel to this story (I don't have the strength lol), I might write some lil oneshots that continue it! We'll see :)   
> Enjoy!!! This final chapter is guaranteed to give u all cavaties :)))

"Daddy, Daddy!" 

Tony peered up from his phone where he was signing some paperwork to turn his attention to his child. Peter, who had been quietly working on his puzzle since he awoke from his nap, was now standing in front of Tony, little fingers unconsciously petting Worm's fur. 

"Yes, baby?"

"Worm has to tell you som'thin'!" Peter inched closer to Tony's chair, grinning.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" The billionaire struggled to keep his own grin under wraps.

Peter climbed up onto his lap, only a bit clumsily this time. He leaned in close to Tony's ear as if to tell a secret, shoving Worm's face against his father's cheek. "He says tha' he loves you."

"Wow." Tony's heart soared. "I love Worm, too. And guess what?" 

"What?" Peter asked. 

The boy had flopped down so that he was smushed safely against Tony's chest. The genius smiled fondly down at his child, who had decided that since today was his fifth birthday, he should be allowed to wear his Iron Man onesie the whole day. Tony couldn't say no even if he wanted to. He was the definition of cute.

"And I love you, baby boy." 

A burst of sweet giggles and a sloppy wet kiss pressed to his stubbly cheek. "I love you, too, Daddy! Lots and lots. Oh, and I love Worm."

"Of course. You can't forget about Worm." Tony stood, positioning Peter on his hip as usual. It had become natural to carry the little one around, even though Tony knew that he couldn't let Peter become too clingy. It would only create more anxieties for the boy later on. But for now, he would hold his baby as much as he wanted him to. "What should we make for dinner tonight, bug?" 

"Tha's right! Aunty Peppa and Unca Rhodey are comin' over!" Peter seemed to remember, his eyes bright and wide. He had been excited for his birthday for a while now, mainly because he got to finally spend time with his aunt and uncle, the two of them usually swamped with work.

Earlier, the other Avengers had visited their floor to wish him a good birthday. It was uncomfortable and slightly tense, but Peter was good at breaking the ice. He brought them all together a lot nowadays. At least they weren't visiting for long, and after chatting with Peter and handing him his gifts, they were on their way, and Tony could continue hogging the boy all for himself. 

After a moment of intense, adorable contemplation, Peter announced, "Your pasta… afwedo. With bread and juice!" Playing with the stuffed puppy in his arms and making the toy dance, Peter tacked on, ever the polite one, "Pwease." 

"Alright, we can do that. Let's get started, they'll be here in about an hour." Tony set the boy on the counter carefully and began rummaging around for pots and pans. "You wanna help, right, bud?" 

Peter bounced excitedly. "Yes, pwease!" 

And so they got to work preparing the dinner. Tony began preparing the sauce as the pasta cooked in a boiling pot, Peter kicking his legs and humming a mindless tune as he played with Worm. 

Tony was always an absolute nightmare in the kitchen, but in the recent months he had been slowly honing his skills, knowing how much Peter enjoyed a home cooked meal. Everyone who knew him at all was shocked by the development. Tony gave all the credit to his mother's recipes she had left for him. 

Just as the billionaire was beginning to heat up the sauce, Peter - starting to grow bored - lifted up a wooden spoon and reached over to try to stir the cooking pasta. Tony, even though he knew the boy's actions were almost harmless, jolted in fear and snatched the spoon from Peter's hand before he could get too close. "Woah, Petey. That's too hot, okay?"

Peter huffed, looking like he was on the verge of a small tantrum. The boy hardly ever threw any fits, though that may have been because Tony was horrible at saying no to that sweet face. But he could understand the cause of one now: Peter wanted to help and well, Tony did say that he could. It made sense he would be annoyed at not being allowed to do anything but sit there.

In an effort to stop any outbursts from the toddler, Tony added on, "How about you set the table?"

He knew the little boy knew where the clean dishes were kept and he trusted him to not drop any, considering the determined look that flashed over Peter's face. 

"'Kay!" And then Peter was allowing Tony to set him on the floor before he hurried over to the dishwasher and reached in for some plates ever so slowly, with cautious tiny fingers. 

Tony chuckled at the toddler as he waddled over to the dining room table, an intense look of concentration on his face. Turning back around to continue his cooking and to show Peter that he trusted him, Tony heard the timer for the pasta go off. 

He finished up his tasks, pulling the reheated bread out of the oven and mixing the sauce and noodles into one large dish. The sound of small footsteps could be heard behind him as Peter walked back and forth, setting the table for their guests. The whole situation was really so domestic and sometimes Tony couldn't help but wonder how he got here. How lucky he was to be living a life like this, to have a kid like Peter. 

"Boss, Ms. Potts and Colonel Rhodes are on their way up now," Friday informed him.

Peter gasped loudly and Tony responded with a small chuckle, directing his attention to the boy. "Do you wanna greet them, Bambino?" 

With an enthusiastic nod, the tyke dashed to the elevator and came to a stop just as the two adults arrived. Peter stood up ramrod straight, his arms behind his back in an obvious impression of a waiter or maybe a butler. Tony almost snorted from his place in the kitchen.

"Hello, Miss Aunty Peppa and Mister Unca Rhodey," Peter called out politely, oblivious to the two adults trying to hide their amused smiles. "Pwease, follow me to y'r seats." 

When they were both sat and placing their napkins in their laps to go along with Peter's little story, the toddler added, "Would you like ap'l juice or water?" 

"Water is fine, Peter," Pepper replied fondly, Rhodey nodding in agreement. 

Peter dashed over to the kitchen and exclaimed, "Two waters!" 

Tony couldn't help but break out into laughter, bending down to pick the toddler up and hold him tight. "Two waters coming right up," he murmured, pressing a kiss to Peter's cheek.

Very seriously, Peter asked, "Daddy, di' I do a goo' job?" 

"Yes, you did very good," Tony praised, catching in the corner of his eye his friends beaming at him. He grinned back. "I'll take it from here, okay? It's time for a certain birthday boy to eat dinner." 

Peter giggled, squirming to get down so he could rush to his seat. Tony watched the three of them sit for a bit, both of his friends wishing a happy birthday to his kid. He was flooded with warmth.

God. This was his family. Tony Stark had a family.

"Tones, you didn't destroy the food, right?" Rhodey called out, a knowing smirk on his face. 

Tony rolled his eyes with false annoyance. "Jeez, I'm coming, alright?" 

He brought the food to the table and everyone dug in, but not before allowing Peter to have the first bite. The boy grinned happily around every bite of pasta. 

"So Peter, have you opened any presents yet today?" Pepper asked.

"I hav'ta wait until cake time to open Daddy's pwesents," Peter replied, pausing to sip at his apple juice. "But I got pwesents from the 'Vengers! Cap'n 'Mer'ca got me a couple coloring books! Unca Clint go' me a really cool toy car and Aunty Nat gave me a sof' blankie that heats up!" He took a deep breath before explaining in detail every other present he got, but Tony let himself tune out a bit since he already knew what they all were. 

"That's wonderful, Pete." Rhodey smiled at the boy. "You can open our presents when you open your dad's."

Peter gasped, dropping his tiny fork onto his plate with a clatter. "You're stayin' fo' dess'rt?!"

"Yeah, baby," Tony answered the boy. "And then maybe we can watch a movie together if you want." 

"Star Wars?!" 

"Sure, buddy," Tony replied in amusement.

\---

After they finished up their meal, Peter decided he needed to show off his presents to Pepper and Rhodey. The two adults couldn't say no to those puppy eyes, all gathered on Peter's bedroom floor as he rummaged through his new belongings with glee.

Tony chose that time to have a much-needed chat with the boy, not minding his friends being present to hear. He had been asking for their opinions on this topic anyway.

There had been a press conference a couple weeks ago, where Tony Stark finally announced to the world that he had adopted a tiny, sweet four year old by the name of Peter Stark. It helped to finally clear up some rumors and as the media buzzed with excitement at the news, Tony had been glad he left Peter home for this. He knew all of the loud voices and bright lights would have made the boy nervous. 

And now, it was August and Tony needed to ask Peter how he felt about beginning kindergarten. The billionaire had already enrolled the boy in a school that was nearby and he knew could keep up with his son's intelligence. Not to mention, Ned Leeds went to that school, so Peter could see his friend everyday. But now it was just a matter of asking Peter how he felt about it.

Pepper and Rhodey both pushed him to get the boy outside more and Tony tried his best to do so, without drawing the attention of reporters along the way. His friends believed that Tony was too hesitant to let the boy out of his sight, and in a way, they were right. But he knew he couldn't homeschool Peter. It wouldn't be right. Peter needed to be around other kids his age. 

"Peter," Tony started, watching as Peter looked up in surprise at not hearing one of his usual nicknames. "How would you feel about… starting school soon?" 

"Like presch'l?" Peter titled his head to the side.

"Yeah, like preschool. But this would be for longer. And you would get to learn lots of new things. I already found a nice school, one where Ned is also gonna be starting in a month. It won't be too far away from the Tower and if you don't like it, we can try something else." Tony hesitantly looked to Pepper and Rhodey and they nodded with small smiles, signalling that he was doing alright.

Peter blinked for a second, humming in contemplation. "With Ned?" 

"Yep. You can see your friend every day, bug."

"Okay." 

Really? 'Okay'? That was it? 

Tony was so worried that Peter would be caught up in his separation anxiety, that he would be scared of leaving Tony for hours at a time, but maybe Tony was the one who was the most nervous. Oh god, was he becoming an overprotective parent?

So that was it. Peter agreed and then rambled about how he used to enjoy preschool and how he was looking forward to learning about new things with Ned. His energetic chatter quickly soothed Tony's worries, at least for the time being. He had been getting worked up for no reason, everything was alright.

Peter squealed in delight when he saw that his cake was Iron Man themed. Tony would never get over the joy of knowing that he was his child's favorite hero. They all had a slice of cake and then Peter finally got to tear into his presents. 

Rhodey got him a book on poetry, which he absolutely loved and he begged the man to help him read it later. Pepper got Peter a cat plushy that glowed in the dark (she knew how he was still afraid of the dark), and Peter held both the cat - whom he had named Rebecca - and Worm to his chest, proclaiming his love for both of the toys.

Tony might have gone a bit overboard. In another effort to combat Peter's fear of the dark, Tony made him a small dome that projected the stars on the ceiling. He also got Peter a Switch, to which the toddler was confused at first, having never seen one before. Of course, he bought way too many plushies and puzzles for Peter, knowing how much he loved them.

But Peter's favorite gift was the Millennium Falcon Lego set that Tony bought for him. He jumped up and down and informed everyone present on why the ship was so cool and how much he loved Star Wars. Tony thought that since Peter was a fan of puzzles, Legos would probably be a hit as well. Oh boy, was he right. 

The rest of the night was spent watching Star Wars as Peter sat at the coffee table, building his new Lego set. He could not for the life of him stop excitedly rambling about his presents and thanking them profusely. It made sense that Peter would be a bit overwhelmed (in a good way), considering how he had grown up.

Tony swore that he would do anything to see his kid smile like that every day. Even if he ended up spoiled.

He was taken out of his thoughts by a small body crawling onto his lap. "Hey, baby," Tony whispered. "You done with your ship for now?" 

Peter nodded drowsily. Such an exciting day must have taken a lot out of the little one. His baby rested his cheek right on the arc reactor, small fingers grabbing onto Tony's shirt. He ran his fingers gently through chocolate curls. 

"Daddy?" Peter mumbled around a yawn.

"Yeah, Bambino?" 

"I love you." 

It wasn't the first time Tony had heard that phrase from Peter. It wasn't even the first time that day. But like every other instance, his chest swelled with endless warmth for the boy curled up in his arms and he hugged him just that much tighter. 

"I love you, too, baby boy. So much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank u so much for the support! Every kudo, comment, and bookmark motivated me to keep going and brought a smile to my face <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> How was it? Too out of character? I can't imagine Tony being snarky with a four year old lol  
> Edit: I changed the book Peter was reading! I thought it was too high level for a kid his age.  
> Thanks for reading <3


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